Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
A basic creamed-butter cupcake, baked in liners and piped with fudgy chocolate buttercream once it's fully cool.
- Serves
- 12
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Written
Method
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
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Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
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Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, scraping the bowl between additions.
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Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain.
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Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
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Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes.
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Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely before frosting.
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Beat the butter for the buttercream until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder alternately with the cream, beating until light and spreadable.
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Pipe or spread the buttercream over the cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Room-temperature butter, eggs, and milk are what keep this crumb even — cold ingredients seize the batter and you end up with dense pockets around the edges. Stop mixing the moment the flour disappears; a cupcake batter worked past that point domes unevenly and turns tough instead of tender.
Frost only once the cupcakes are fully cool, or the buttercream slides right off. For a plain vanilla version, drop the cocoa powder and add an extra tablespoon of cream to keep the texture the same.